Last night at the Ball Arena, home of the Denver Nuggets, the Phoenix Suns came visiting in what was an exhilarating game of basketball. The Suns led by Kevin Durant eventually ran out winners 117-107 in overtime and in the process ended the Nugget’s six-game winning streak.
During the game, an exciting moment occurred that has gone viral on social media. The Nuggets’ Serbian star, Nikola Jokic appeared to lose his cool while attempting to call his coach, Michael Malone attention to a bad call that went against his team.
The incident unfolded as the Nuggets were trailing the Suns 96-90 and with five minutes left on the clock and staging a comeback, the Denver Nuggets forward Aaron Gordon delivered a pass to teammate Jokic which went out of bounds. The referees made a decision to call it off Jokic initially, which sent the Serbian center into beast mode and he quickly demonstrated to his coach to challenge the call.
After the call was challenged, the referee reversed his decision in favor of the Nuggets as it was determined after a check that the ball had gone off Phoenix Suns’ Royce O’Neale. The Nuggets were able to pull off a comeback from 22 points down to force overtime which they eventually lost to an inspired Kevin Durant’s outing.
Nikola Jokic ended the game with 25 points, 16 rebounds, and five assists. Next for the Nuggets is a home game against the Boston Celtics.
Nikola Jokic’s Nuggets and Boston Celtics to play in Abu Dhabi in October
The NBA announced on Wednesday that the Denver Nuggets and Boston Celtics will play in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, on October 4th and 6th in preseason games ahead of next season.
Nikola Jokic (Image via the Score/X)The NBA Deputy Commissioner and COO Mark Tatum said in a statement:
We’re excited to bring two of the best teams in the NBA to Abu Dhabi in the Celtics and the Nuggets. There is incredible momentum around basketball in the UAE and across the Middle East, and we believe these games as well as our year-round grassroots development and fan engagement efforts will be a catalyst for the continued growth of the game in the region.
Mark Tatum said
The game will feature two of the best teams in the NBA and would be an opportunity for the two-time MVP, Jokic to display his skills and athleticism to a global audience. It is worth noting that Abu Dhabi has been hosting a plethora of big-name sporting events.
